Understanding Seto Kaiba
by PrincessArtemistheprotector
Summary: An new girl in school might just hold the key to kaiba's past. Can she be the answer to unlocking the Kaiba Corp. CEO's heart?
1. Chapter 1

Hello This is my third fic, so hopefully it will be better than the last couple that I have wrote. Please enjoy and respond.

Chapter 1

The silence was grueling as it pressed on the ears of the young teen seated outside her new classroom. She could hear the teacher in the room drowning on about something, but the words were so incoherent that they melted into the silence and surrounded her like everything else. Today would be the longest of her life, and she could tell just by the pain in her head.

"Artemis, the class is ready to meet you." The teacher said. Artemis looked up at her. Slowly she stood up and walked to the door. The class fell silent as she entered. Looking out at the many faces that glared at her Arty felt her heart beat faster. The room was filled with unfamiliar faces, and the sudden rush of being in a new school sent a wave of nausea through her body that she kept at bay in her stomach. The teacher put what was suppose to be a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but the touch only made her tense.

"Everyone, please welcome our foreign exchange student, Artemis to class." The teacher said. The class mumbled a practiced hello that Arty took at face value. She began to feel the stares of the men in the room, and silently cursed the uniforms that the schools made her wear. She hated skirts with a passion. The Teacher found her a seat, and then returned to explaining the lesson plan. Artemis let her sky blue eyes wonder out to the gym class playing outside. A stray strand of blood red hair slid into her line of vision, and she brushed it aside. When the lunch bell finally rang three hours later, the pit in her stomach had been replaced by a growling hunger.

In the cafeteria Artemis was lost. Japan had always had strange clicks, and spending nine years in America wasn't helping her distinguish them any better. When she finally found an empty table, she had already been hit on by like, five guys, each looking like the type that only wanted to get laid and run. She was just biting into her sandwich when a group of friends sat down across from her. Three boys and a girl each laid down their trays and greeted Arty warmly.  
"Hello!" A boy with spiky yellow bangs and purple spikes behind them, said.

"Yo!" A blonde and brunette chimed together.

"Hi!" The only girl said. Arty didn't respond at first, her mouth full of food. When she had finally swallowed she forced a smile/

"Hello there. Sorry if I took your table." Artemis said, getting ready to pack up.

"You didn't take our table." The one blonde said, a strong Brooklyn accent rolling off his tongue.

"Yeah." The other blonde agreed. "We heard you were new here and wanted to introduce ourselves. My name is Yugi." The boy extended a hand. Arty took it strongly. The brunette and blonde were the next to speak.

"I'm Joey, and this here is Tristan." The blonde said. The boys attacked their plates, the formalities now aside. Arty almost laughed at the comic way the boys ate. The girl was the last to speak.

"I am Tea." She said. "You'll have to excuse these two; food is one of the few things they take seriously." Arty smiled.

"I can see that. My name is Artemis. Everyone calls me Arty. What class are you guys in?" Tea was the first to answer.

"We are in class c." She said. Yugi nodded. "You speak good Japanese, Arty. Where are you from?" Arty sighed.

"Well my father was from Greece, and my mother was from Japan. They were living here until they died when I was seven, and then I was adopted and I moved to America, but lately my stepfather has been complaining about American schools, so he sent me here to Japan." All four friends stopped and gawked at the girl.

"Your parents are dead?!" Joey marveled. Arty laughed nervously, and Tea elbowed the blonde in the ribs. "Hey!" Joey yelled. "I mean it's better than having divorced parents who hate each other, and having to support your drunken ass father." The look Joey had when he spat out the word father gave Arty a clue that Joey disliked the man. She quickly tried to change the subject.

"So where is the best place to hang out after school? I haven't been in Japan in so long…" Joey perked up at this.

"That's an easy question! The arcade is the best place to hang when you don't want to do home work!" Joey said triumphantly. Arty giggled softly at the boy's ability to be so energetic.

"Figures coming from a slacker like you Wheeler." A silky voice said behind the blonde, making him shiver and then go red.

"Kaiba you jerk!" Joey yelled, rounding on a brunet boy, about seventeen with cerulean blue eyes and a strong posture. Arty could immediately tell the boy came from wealth, but something about him felt oddly familiar. Kaiba smirked at the boys come back.

"Please tell me you geeks haven't recruited another deadbeat to chant your friendship bull in my face, Cause frankly I don't want to hear it." Arty stood up from the table and looked the boy right in the eyes.

"If you don't want to hear it then don't listen, and don't talk to them, but it's rude to insult people's ways of thinking, and rude people top my list of kids that need an ass whooping. If you want to laugh at someone, go look in the mirror, because the face I'm staring at sure is hilariously stupid." The brunet backed away a step at Arty's comment hen smirked again.

"At least one of you guys has some balls now." Kaiba said, before walking away. Arty sat down in a huff. Joey was more excited than ever.

"That was unbelievable! I've never seen anyone stand up to rich boy like that in my life! You were amazing!" Arty laughed.

"That's the best that will come out of me all week." She said with a bright smile. Yugi looked at her admiringly. Suddenly the lunch bell rang, and everyone had to go back to class.

When the day bell finally let everyone out of school, Arty felt as if she had lost more brain cells than she had gained. The councilor had thought it a great idea to hold her back year and make her retake sophomore year, so Arty was now hearing the same jargon she already knew in another language. She had just reached the door when Tea caught up with her.

"Hey Arty! Yugi is going to duel Kaiba at his company's amusement park, and Yugi wanted to know if you would come along and support him." Arty thought about it for a minute.

"When is he going to duel?" She asked. Tea smiled.

"In an hour." Arty nodded. "Want to come with me to my house. I need to pick something up and get out of this God damn skirt." Tea laughed and nodded. They walked the first two blocks in silence, and then Artemis asked how good a player at duel monsters Yugi and Kaiba were. This got Tea in a long speech about how Yugi had bested Kaiba and become the king of games so to speak. Arty listened attentively, and almost walked by her own house.

"Here we are." Artemis said. Tea was shocked at the size of the place. Artemis lived in the rich part of town for sure.

"You're kind of like Kaiba. He was adopted when he was a kid by a millionaire, and ended up taking over his step fathers company." Arty laughed at the idea that she had something in common with the boy she had just chewed out at lunch. As she gathered her I-pod and changed into jeans and a t-shirt, she asked Tea if Kaiba was the boy's first name.

"No Kaiba does not like anyone to call him by his first name, so that's what we all call him. I think his name is Seto? His little brother Mokuba knows…." Tea trailed off as Arty suddenly stopped moving.

"Mokuba and Seto. I-I … I know I know that name. But where have I heard it before?" Artemis tried to rack her brain for the answer, and distant memories fought to gain her attention, but were quickly swallowed by the other thoughts bouncing in her head.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi again everyone!!! Before I forget I need to clarify when this fic is taking place. We join our hero's right after Kaiba's second tournament, but before Yugi goes to Egypt and fights the Pharaoh. (Because what good Yu-Gi-Oh fic doesn't have the Pharaoh pounding Kaiba into the floor?) To some of my readers who were brave enough to review THANK YOU!!!! I have been told Arty has Mary-sue traits, (Ack!!!) and I hope to prove later that she is definitely not a Mary sue in any way. Thank you guys again for giving me support and advice. To anyone else, please read and respond. :-

Chapter 2

As Artemis and Tea stepped out onto the platform above the dueling arena, Yugi was about to pull his trump card out, and the smirk that Kaiba held, showed that he didn't expect it.

"Now I summon my Dark magician Girl in attack mode, and activate the trap card Deal of Phantom. This Trap card allows me to increase the attack power of any monster of my choosing by 100 points for every monster in my grave yard, bringing Dark Magician Girls attack power to 3400! More than enough to destroy your Blue Eyes White Dragon. Now Dark Magician Girl! Attack his monster and end this duel!"

The wave of magic that the Dark magician Girl sent at Kaiba and his dragon engulfed them both, and brought the brunet to his knees. When he finally gained the composure to look up, his eyes were burning with fire.

"I will defeat you, Yugi! One day I will reclaim the title of King of Games!" Arty and Tea rushed down the ramp into the arena, where they were met by Joey and Tristan. Then they all approached Yugi to congratulate him. Arty noticed a change in his composure from when he was dueling just moments before.

"Nice job man!" Joey cheered. Tristan slapped Yugi on the back, almost sending the little blonde face first into the floor. Tea gave him a high five, and Arty congratulated him on a job well done. They were all just about to leave when Mokuba came sliding down the ramp to tend to his brothers broken ego.

"Seto! Are you okay, big brother?" The dark haired boy asked. Seto waved him off and got to his feet.

"You! New girl! You were the one that insulted me earlier. We need to settle this here and now. I'm going to put you in your place right here and now so you understand where you belong! I demand that you duel me right now!" Kaiba was adamant that he was going to get his way, and his attitude immediately got under Arty's skin again.

"First of all, if you are going to refer to me then you better remember my name. I am Artemis, and if you want to talk to me, then you will address me as such. Second, I am not a duelist by nature, and I am not going to fuel your ego by giving you an unfair fight that you will inevitably win. If you really want to tangle with me then we will use my terms. I am a fighter, and if you want to keep that CEO business sneer, then you don't want to get into it with me. Why don't you go find someone else to demolish, like one of the idiots on your staff? You're just a waste of time." The look that Kaiba wore at the end of that speech was a Kodak moment for anyone who had never seen Kaiba floored before. The feeling of satisfaction that Artemis got from that look was great. When Kaiba had finally recovered from the blow, he set her with one of his trademark glares. She didn't falter under it at all, it only strengthened her resolve.

"I accept your challenge, _Artemis._" He said, though she could tell that the use of her name had been forced. "I wish to fight you here and now, until one of us is knocked onto the floor." Artemis thought about it for a minute.

"Are you really sure you want to do this?" She asked. Kaiba, without missing a beat, nodded. Artemis agreed, and they shook hands to seal their deal. Then they each headed out to the center of the arena. Arty found this very amusing, a boy of such wealthy status thinking he could win against her. Then again she never told anyone that she had nine world titles under her belt either, but who has to know that?

The fight started out with the two circling each other. Artemis could tell that this Seto Kaiba was a very tense young man. His body seemed to be coiled tight, ready to spring at her at a moments notice, but he was waiting like an experienced fighter normally did. She relaxed her body, too be ready for anything, and made the first move. With a swift flick of her wrist on her right to distract him, she lunged at him. Not taking the bait, his knee came up at her face, and Arty had to switch to a sweep in order to avoid getting kneed in the face. Kaiba jumped over the sweep easily, and Artemis brought her leg strait up at his chin as she got up. Her foot connected, but as he stumbled back, Kaiba was able to plant a good front kick into Arty's stomach. They both recovered at a bout the same time, circling again to find a good position. Arty could hear Mokuba cheering his brother on, the sound so familiar, yet the memory was still out of reach. Kaiba was the first to make a move this time, using a round kick flip kick combination. Arty blocked the round kick, and was able to doge the flip kick. An idea came to Artemis, and she used it, going from standing into a round off onto Kaiba's shoulders. The brunet, upset that she had gotten on top of him, did a back flip while keeping one leg strait, so as to hit Arty as she came down. Artemis knew he was going to flip out, so she jumped up, and came right down on the CEO's stomach, pushing him to the floor.

"Not bad, for a rookie." Arty complimented. Kaiba, unable to move, grumbled something. Artemis offered her hand to the boy when she got up, but he slapped it away. Something about the way Kaiba acted reminded Arty of something, but what still eluded her. Without even a word, Kaiba walked away, leaving Mokuba to handle the formalities.

"Sorry my brother bothered you. You were really good! You reminded me of the girl my brother used to fight at the orphanage. She taught him how to fight, and she was really amazing. We haven't seen her in a while either. What was her name?" Mokuba trailed off in thought for a minute before his childish mind kicked in and he began talking about how wonderful his brother was. Joey waited attentively for about three seconds before he cut in and asked who wanted to go to the arcade. Everyone agreed, and they even let Mokuba tag along, as long as he didn't speak of his brother.

They left Kaiba land with Mokuba in toe, and a nagging feeling in Arty's gut made her stop. She looked back over her shoulder to the top of the building, but couldn't see anything that would make her uneasy. Realizing she had fallen behind, she turned around and rushed to catch up with the others.

When they arrived at the arcade it was empty, making everyone uneasy. Mokuba was the first to try out a game, picking a fighting game. He was on it for no more than five seconds when a teenager approached, punching the boy and sending him flying across the room into another game. Mokuba passed out immediately, but he was soon followed by the teen who hit him, Arty delivering her own strong hook to the punks face. Tea rushed to Mokuba's side as the boys began to compliment Artemis on her punch, when they found themselves surrounded by teens with various weapons pointed at the gang.

"What the..?!" Joey yelled in surprise. The punks were grinning evilly as they circled the boys and Arty.

"Who are you guys? What do you want?" Yugi questioned. A purple haired punk stepped forward, obviously the leader.

"We took over this Arcade, and now we declare that no kids are allowed to play in here. That little squirt is breaking our rules, and you just knocked out our friend. That means we go to rule number two. Any teens that support the kids, become mince meat at our pocket knives." The teens looked anxious to begin beating up the so called traitors. Joey and Tristan got in front of Yugi to protect him, and Tea got to her feet to keep Mokuba safe.

"Get'um boys!" The leader called, and the punks lunged at the gang. Joey dogged a knife and made the first hit, sending the punk back into his buddies who all fell over. Then he came to Tristan's aid. Arty didn't need any help at first, using their own weapons against her group of punks, but soon they overwhelmed her, getting her pinned between the entourage of knives and a game machine. With Joey and Tristan busy and Yugi and Tea not knowing how to fight, Arty had no options left. She readied herself for the feeling of the blades through her skin as she watched the boy's approach, when three of them were tripped by an unforeseen ally. Seto kaiba came up on the fourth boy with a perfect uppercut. Arty, not worried about why the boy had decided to help her, caught a punk who was sneaking up on Kaiba with a knee to the groin. The two worked well together, watching each others backs and taking out the punks. By the time everyone was finished, the punks were scrambling for the door. A few seconds after the last punk had been tied up or scared out, a door cracked behind the desk. The arcade owner poked his head out of the doorway, and looked around.

"Can I let the kids out now?" He asked the group.

"Yeah." Joey nodded. The owner opened the door wide, and an avalanche of little kids poured out of the back room. Of them a boy with midnight blue hair charged Artemis, and flung his arms around her stomach.

"Arty! I was scared. Those guys where mean and cruel, and one gave me a black eye." The boy pointed to the eye tenderly, already turning black and blue around the edges.

"It's okay Osiris. You will be fine now." Artemis ran her hand through the boy's hair, and he gave an award winning smile. Hey sissy, I'm going home, but Daddy is going to be there later, so don't stay out too late, okay?" Osiris commented. Arty nodded, and the boy ran off into the street.

"You have a brother?" Yugi noticed. Artemis nodded.

"He was a boy at the orphanage that I looked after, and when my step father came to adopt, he wanted both of us." Artemis turned to Seto Kaiba with interest. "Why did you help me beat up those punks?" She asked. Kaiba glared at her, and then answered swiftly.

"Because you helped Mokuba." Was his reply. Artemis tilted her head to one side, but said nothing.

"What, do you want me to pay you or something?" Kaiba spat. Artemis shook her head.

"I know we have met before, I'm just trying to remember where." She looked at him sideways for a couple more minutes, and then smiled. "I think I remember now." She said, closing her eyes. Suddenly her pocket began to vibrate as her phone rang. She turned to the gang with a tiered sigh.

"That would be my step father. See you round Yugi, Tea, Joey, and Tristan." She faced Kiaba with an I-know-more-than-you smile. "By Seto." She said, walking out the arcade. Everyone, even Kaiba was floored that she had the guts to call Seto by his first name. Kaiba slung Mokuba over his shoulder to take him home, following the red head out in a huff.

For anyone who has no idea what a flip kick is, a flip kick is when you bring your leg up like a front kick, then flip it over so that your inner thigh is showing, and your foot comes in like a round kick.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to anyone who is still reading this. Hopefully Arty will not be a Mary Sue anymore. Please respond, I can even take flames if it is really that horrible. Any way, on with the story.

Chapter 3

Artemis walked down the pier, lost in thought. She had just remembered that she had known Seto and Mokuba when they were little. They were her very best friends when they had all been in the orphanage together, Arty and Seto watching over their younger brothers. Seto had changed so much since the day Artemis had left, that she could hardly recognize the boy. Artemis also felt bad about the fact that she had left Seto and Mokuba at the orphanage that day. True, she hasn't had much choice at the time, she had to be dragged out of the orphanage by ten body guards, but she figured if Seto ever remembered her that he would hold a grudge. She continued to walk for about a mile, before her cell phone rang and she had to answer it. On the other end was her step father.

"Hello Arty! Where are you? Osiris told me you got in a fight today. Are you okay?" The voice on the other end of the line asked, worried. Arty mentally sighed. She hated having a parent that was so worried about her. She was so used to having time to herself, being an only child for half her life.

"Yes, father, I am fine. Some friends of mine helped me out, and nobody got hurt." This was partially true, but Artemis knew that if she told her father the whole truth, he would have a conniption fit.

"Arty, I told you not to get into fights on your first day of school." Her step father sighed. Artemis could tell that he didn't believe that no one got hurt.

"Dad it wasn't in school. We were at an arcade, and some punks were holding the manager and some kid's hostage." Her step father cut in.

"I don't care where it was Artemis. You can't get in trouble again. I can't keep bailing you out of jail, or paying off the people you beat up. You have to straiten up girl, or your not going to have a home to run to when you get beat down." Artemis could feel the anger welling up inside her. She hated having some one telling her what she could and couldn't do. She was her own person, and had never taken kindly to men giving her orders.

"I don't need your home. I don't need you or anyone else in order to survive. You don't have to worry about me." Artemis couldn't control the rage that fueled her words.

"Artemis, don't fight with me over this, we have had too many fights over your behavior. I don't want to have to ground you for disrespecting me." Her step father said, forcing himself to stay calm.

"Then don't tell me what to do! We wouldn't have to fight, if you didn't always have to control me! I can take care of myself! Just leave me alone!"

"Artemis, I don't want to hear another word. You come home this instant, or consider yourself an orphan again! I am tired of fighting with you! End of discussion!" Her step father roared over the phone.

"Then consider yourself a father of one!" Artemis yelled, and hung up. It took at least nine minutes to calm herself down. Artemis wandered the streets, until she came upon a play ground. She sat down on the swings, looking at her feet. The sun was just going down behind the trees. The sky was a tinted pink, with orange and gold sifted through it. A sudden screech of tires on the street, made Artemis look up. There was a limo, stopped right at the gates of the park, with Mokuba's head sticking out of a window.

"Hey Artemis!" He called, hopping out of the car and running up to her. She could vaguely see the form of Seto in the back of the limo, glairing at his brother for stopping their ride.

"Hey, my brother and I were just going to Applebee's to get something to eat, and my brother said I could bring a friend. I was wondering if you wanted to go and hang out like… you know, old times." Mokuba looked a little sheepish; as if he was embarrassed for remembering that they were friends. Arty gave the little raven haired boy a bright smile to hide her anger and frustration.

"Sure, Mokuba, I would love to hang out." Artemis said. Mokuba punched the air, before dragging Arty off the swing and toward the car.

"You got to play dumb about our past though, because Seto doesn't remember you, and if he did he would blow a gasket. He still won't forgive you for leaving us." Mokuba informed her. Arty cocked her head to one side.

"Do you forgive me, Mokuba?" She asked. The little boy stopped for a second, turned to her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. He was able to catch Arty off guard with the motion, and then he looked her strait in the eye.

"As of today, I think you for filled your promise, so yeah, I forgive you." With that, Mokuba turned around, and led Artemis into the limo. Once inside, Artemis was greeted by a scowl and a grunt.

"Mokuba, what is _she _doing here?" Kaiba asked, signaling to Arty. Almost immediately Artemis wanted to smack him in the back of the head, but she kept her hands to herself.

"But Seto, you promised I could bring a friend to Applebee's with us!" Mokuba whined. Seto looked a little upset at being called by his first name in front of the girl he considered to be his mortal enemy, but just grumbled something, and faced the window.

Once at the restaurant, Mokuba and Artemis began to talk normally. Artemis had been afraid to say anything in the car that would upset Seto, and have him throw her out of the speeding car. Artemis could survive being thrown out of a speeding car but she didn't want to add insult to injury with all that had happened today. Mokuba hadn't said anything either, until just before they had arrived, waiting for his brother to speak first. Seto had remained silent, looking out the window, until they were a block away before turning to Artemis and asking why she hadn't been at home eating dinner. Artemis shrugged off the question, not wanting to explain that she had just got in a massive fight with her step father. Now that they were in Applebee's Kaiba was pushing the point again, as if he knew that it was making her angry.

"So, why would you be out at a park, instead of home with your step father?" Seto asked, after the waitress had taken their orders, and left.

"I didn't want to go home yet, and he didn't want me home anyway…." Artemis trailed off before she began saying too much. Seto, though, wanted to hear what was wrong with her life, obviously looking for something to hold over her in order to bring her down a peg.

"Why wouldn't your step father want you home? Didn't your brother say that he was coming home today? Most parents would love to see their kids after a long trip away from home." Mokuba shifted in his seat, and excused himself to go to the bathroom. Seto wouldn't take Arty's silence for an answer.

"What kind of dad doesn't want to dote on his daughter when he gets home? What did you do to upset him enough to ask you to stay away from the house? Or, maybe, you just don't want to go home, because you can't stand the idea of a guy running your life?" Artemis perked up at Seto's last comment. How could he have known? Did he really remember her, or was he just a good guess?

"What makes you think I don't want to go home?" Artemis asked, kicking herself inside for taking the bait. There was something about those cerulean blue orbs that seemed to scan through her skin, and right into her mind.

"Because you don't seem like the type of girl who enjoys being pushed around. You don't strike me as the gentle, caring type, who understands everyone, and let's people walk all over her. No, you seem more like the girl who will crush anyone in her path, and leave behind all the baggage that slows her down," Arty felt her breath hitch. He had to remember her. He wouldn't have said that otherwise. "You seem like that kind of girl, Artemis," This time when he said her name, Arty felt a strong emotion hit her on his breath, but which one she couldn't place. "But I can't believe that, because you protected Mokuba, and you didn't just leave." Arty felt fear for the first time in years, and it was a feeling that made her shiver, and surprised her.

"Seto, I didn't..." She trailed off as he leaned over the table. She couldn't read him, she never really could.

"I know, Artemis. I watched them drag you out of that orphanage kicking and screaming all the way. I watched you break at least five body guard's noses, trying to get back to my brother and I. I know you came back for us, and they told you we weren't there. But Artemis, that doesn't mean I don't resent the fact that you, still couldn't help us when you promised you would. I can forgive you for leaving, but I can't forgive you for letting them take you away." Kaiba sat back as the waitress and Mokuba returned with food.

"Your brother wanted a tour through the kitchen, so I took him through, and he offered to help me carry your order." The waitress smiled. Mokuba was carrying his dinner, Mac'n'cheese. The waitress laid down a salad for Seto and a platter of potato skins for Artemis. She had to force herself to eat them after the discussion she had just had with Seto. Mokuba ate as if there was nothing wrong, the tension at the table floating right over his head. Artemis finished her meal and reached in her pocket to get some money.

"You aren't leaving, are you Arty?" Mokuba asked. Artemis looked at Seto, who was just finishing his meal. He caught her gaze, and after a moment, sighed.

"Do you really have a place to stay tonight?" Arty's mind floated back to the conversation that she had had with her step father, and she shook her head involuntarily. Damn her slight ADD. Kaiba sighed again.

"Do you want to spend the night with us? You are Mokuba's friend, and I always promise to let his friends spend the night." Mokuba cheered, and then put on his infamous puppy dog eyes. Arty didn't have much choice in the matter, and so she agreed.

By the time the limo pulled up in front of the Kaiba mansion, Mokuba had fallen asleep. Seto was just picking the boy up to carry him to his room, when Artemis asked Kaiba a question.

"Why are you letting me stay here if you resent me so badly?" Kaiba led her into the house before answering.

"I said I resented you at dinner, and I do. On the other hand though, I do promise Mokuba that anyone h brings to dinner can spend the night, and you did protect him earlier, even though he isn't your brother. I think I can give you a chance to redeem yourself for that." Kaiba headed up the stairs and Artemis followed.

"What do you mean, redeem myself?" She asked. Seto pointed to a room on his left.

"That is a spare bedroom. It connects to mine through the closet, so stay on your own side, and I'll stay on mine." With that he turned to the right to head into Mokuba's room. Arty was ready to scream at him for not explaining himself, when he turned around.

"Artemis. I lied when I said I resented you. I don't really hate you, but right now I don't understand what's going on. You always drop into my life when I don't expect it, and in the past you have left when I finally get what you are. I don't want that to happen again, so I am weary of getting my hopes up that this time you won't fly out of my life and leave me alone to cope with reality. Until you can prove to me that you really will stay this time, I can't let you into my life for good. You do understand, right?" For just a second, Artemis thought she saw a little of that old Seto from back at the orphanage. She nodded to her old friend, and he turned around to put Mokuba to bed, the said youth really wide awake, giving Arty the thumbs up sign. At first Artemis didn't get why Mokuba had done that, but then she realized that what Seto had just said, was the closest to a forgiveness speech as she would ever get. She returned the signal to the little boy, and then went to bed.

Okay, okay, I know. This sounds pretty cheesy, but bare with me for a chapter. If you didn't notice, I put this under romance, so if this isn't what you were looking for, tough luck. Again please respond, and if anyone has a boring enough life to research who Arty's adopted father is, then I'll give you a cyber cookie. (..) this thing As a hint, I wrote a previous fic with Artemis and her Adopted father that I haven't updated since like June, but I ran out of ideas so I had to stop. Anyway, thanks for reading. See you next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everyone! Wow, four chapters, and the worst I have got in reviews is being told my character is a Mary Sue! Nobody sent me a guess on who Arty's adopted father is, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't matter anyway. Hope you enjoy this chapter, this is where we get into the love story part, but I don't plan on making some mushy ode to Kaiba. (I'm not that kind of girl.) Please read and respond!

Chapter 4

Artemis woke in the fluffy folds of a maroon comforter, and silky white sheets. The canopy above her head, also dressed in a maroon fabric, caught the sun from the sky light, and cast shadows on the hills and valleys of the sheets. Slowly crawling out of bed, Artemis scanned the room, adorned with a Harry Potter like feel. She heard a faint rustling from the closet, and wandered over curiously, stupidity taking hold of her still wakening mind. The door was slightly ajar, enough to look through without being caught, and Arty pressed her eye up to the slit. In the middle of the closet, Kaiba stood with only a towel around his waist, looking at his vast array of cloths, obviously trying to find something suitable to wear. Arty noticed his chiseled abs, upset by scars from fights at the orphanage. A rather nasty scar running along Seto's stomach, right near his bellybutton, caught Arty's eye, and she followed it to the folds in the fabric covering the millionaire teen. Seto suddenly sent a glance in her direction, and even though she knew better, Artemis feared he saw her. She quickly looked away, and headed to the bathroom to shower. Without thinking, she threw her cloths out into the room, turning on the hot water. The steam enveloped her as she let the water beat down on her tired muscles. She ran shampoo and conditioner through her short red locks, and used the soap to clean off the dirt that had accumulated on her skin. When she was finally done, she got out, wrapped herself in a towel, and remembered she had thrown her cloths on the floor. Making sure the towel was tight; she walked into the room, coming face to face with Seto, who was holding a bag in one hand, and her dirty cloths in another. Neither said anything for a second, and then Kaiba thrust the bag at Arty.

"Your brother sent over these, and said you better go get the rest, before your step father burns it all." He said, keeping a very controlled composure for just walking in on a girl who was wearing only a piece of cloth. Arty wondered if Seto had ever had a girlfriend, as she took the bag with quiet thanks. Seto then raised her dirty cloths.

"I'm going to give these to the maids to clean. They can bring it back to your room when they are finished." He said, turning to go.

"Wait, what you mean "my room?" Artemis asked. Seto looked back over his shoulder, and then turned at the doorway.

"Well I talked to Osiris for a little bit, and he told me the whole story about you fighting with your stepfather, so I figured you would be begging to stay here, so I already talked to the maids, and had them set this room up as yours." Seto commented. Artemis raised her hand to stop the boy.

"You can't do this Seto. I don't want to be a burden, and I don't want to accept charity. I will find my own place." She said. Seto looked at her for a moment, and then put on one of his patented Kaiba glares.

"Artemis, I have already told my staff to be expecting you her for a while. You want to make a liar out of me? I happen to hate being a lair, and anyone who makes me a lair is not my friend." Artemis was about to make a response, when she remembered she was trying to convince Kaiba that they could be friends again. Reluctantly, Arty agreed to stay, and Kaiba turned to go, before turning back around.

"Oh, and Artemis. If you want to stay here, there is one condition." Artemis glared at Seto. Conditions, she had learned, were usually never good. "I have a dinner party at a premier restaurant tonight, and everyone there will have a date. If you wish to stay here you must accompany me to this party, tonight, and any others that come up until you leave. Do you understand?" Artemis couldn't speak for a second. Did Kaiba just demand that she go on a date with him?

"I guess I could manage a dinner party every once and a while." She said. Seto left the room, and Arty got changed in a daze. She was just starting to make the bed, when Mokuba walked in.

"Hey Arty! Breakfast is getting cold! Don't worry about making the bed, the maids will do that. Seto told me you're staying with us for a while. It's a great way for you two to da-I mean catch up with each other." Artemis caught the hesitation in the young boy's voice.

"We can do what?" Artemis asked.

"You guys can catch up." Mokuba repeated more smoothly, putting on an innocent face, and then dragging Artemis down to breakfast. It took Artemis and Seto only a couple minutes to forget about their encounter that morning, and begin talking regularly again. When breakfast was finally finished, Artemis returned to her room, where the bed was already made, and retrieved her bag. She rushed down the stairs, past Mokuba, who asked where she was going.

"I'm going to get my stuff, before my step father burns it all." She commented. Mokuba giggled, and Arty kept a strait face.

"He wouldn't really do that, would he?" Mokuba asked nervously. Arty continued down the stairs.

"It wouldn't be the first time." Artemis commented over her shoulder.

When Artemis got back to her step father's house, the doors were locked, and the windows were closed. Artemis could already see the rings where the old locks had been, meaning her stepfather had put new locks on the doors. Artemis let out a small chuckle. Like new locks could keep her out. She had gotten out of worse with a little raven haired boy on her back, dragging a certain brunet behind her. She pulled out a hair pin that she kept for things like this, and picked the lock. She then found the alarm box, and guessed three times before getting the right password. Her stepfather wasn't making this challenging enough for her. She locked the door, and headed up to her room, to pick up her things. She found her I-pod charger, her cell phone, that she could reactivate later, and seven different pairs of clothing. She was just about to leave the room when she remembered the party that night, and the midnight blue cocktail dress she had in her closet. She made sure to lay it neatly on top of everything in her bag before resetting the alarm, and leaving the house. Once on the street, Artemis fished out her cell, and began calling the provider to get the number transferred to a separate account. It took her until she returned to the Kaiba mansion to do it, then she headed up the stairs to her room. Her cloths had been laid on the bed, and it reminded her of her home in America with her rich stepfather making the maids do everything, while he drank red wine spritzers and hung out at the pool all day.

Seto was in the kitchen with Mokuba, discussing the younger boy's birthday, which would be here in a matter of weeks.

"I want to have a big sleep over party here with everyone from school." Mokuba commented, as Artemis entered the room.

"I don't have any problems with that Mokuba, what I do have the problem with is that you say everyone from school, and what you mean is the geek squad and two boys your age." Artemis sat down at the table to listen to the brother's quarrel.

"Who's the geek squad?" She asked, pretty sure she already knew the answer.

"Yugi and his friendship ranting loser friends." Seto commented before returning his attention to his brother. "Why don't we focus on what you want present wise, Mokuba." Seto said, trying to change the subject. Mokuba thought about it for a second.

"Okay, I want you under house arrest for two weeks, and you can only do company work while I am in school." Mokuba said with a demanding authority. Seto didn't seem surprised or upset by the request.

"I think I can manage that." Seto said. Then Mokuba got a sly look in his eye.

"And, I also want you to go on an actual date with Arty." Mokuba challenged. Both teens raised their voice at this request.

"Mokuba, are you crazy? We would end up destroying the restaurant if we went out on a date." Artemis said.

"And, what do you mean by real date? I have had plenty of dates before." Seto commented.

"Business dinners and luncheons don't count." The raven haired youth clarified. "And besides, you guys were really close to dating when we were at the orphanage. You guys need to recapture that youthful fun again." Mokuba said, using words that were too big for his body. Artemis and Seto looked at each other. It was true that Arty and Seto had almost been an item when they were kids, but could they really recapture that childhood love again?

"We will think about it, Mokuba. Mean while, Artemis and I have to get ready for our dinner party." With that, the brunet CEO walked out of the kitchen, and left Arty to convince Mokuba that they would think about it.

I plan on making the dinner party a whole chapter, so this is where the story ends for now. The hell pit called school will be opening soon, so I might not get as many chances to update, but I will try my best. Please read and review!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Artemis sat at the mirror gazing into her sky blue eyes. A maid was helping her straiten her hair, and Arty was putting the finishing touches on her makeup. She was already uncomfortable, even though her dress was the softest material. Mokuba was sitting on the bed, watching quietly.

"Arty, do you think that Seto will let me have Yugi and his friends over for my birthday?" He asked. Artemis thought about it for a moment.

"He might, but I don't think that he will stay for the party if they are there." She said. Her eyes drifted to the closet across the room. Mokuba didn't say anything for a minute, and then looked up.

"Arty, would you go on a date with Seto if I asked for it for my birthday?" Mokuba was attempting puppy dog eyes, but Artemis had her back to the boy, and was unaffected.

"Maybe, Mokuba, I don't know. Let's just get through tonight, and we can plan for the future tomorrow, okay?" She asked, turning around to face the raven haired boy. Mokuba looked disappointed, but nodded.

"Are you ready?" Seto asked, walking out of the closet. It made Artemis a little tense that Seto had such access to her room.

"Yes, I am ready. As ready as I will ever be, anyway." She looked Seto over carefully. He was wearing a white tuxedo with a blue dress shirt underneath, and a white bowtie. He had gold cufflinks, and shined and polished dress shoes. He was rather handsome in the getup, until you looked at his face and saw the scowl that cut across his strong jaw line.

"You look good." He commented without interest.

"You would too if you didn't look like you were about to kill yourself." She said, standing up and heading for her door. Seto fallowed her out, the two not expecting the night that was to come.

Seto and Artemis sat at a table, Seto trying to schmooze a fellow businessman into bargaining a business proposal. Artemis was looking up at the band across the room, listening to the music they played. They were going with the seventies and eighties stuff, the good old classics that everyone in the room over thirty loved. She was almost about to fall asleep, when a business man walked up to her and asked why she was bored.

"Oh, I'm not bored!" She lied through her teeth. The man sat down, introducing himself as the president of some weird company that made electronic parts. Immediately Seto was trying to talk to him, but the business man didn't want to talk business.

"I tell you what, Mr. Kaiba. If you take this gal' out to the dance floor, and dance three songs with her, and then I will sign the proposal without even looking at it." This caught Seto and Artemis off guard.

"He doesn't need to dance with me, sir. I'm not bored." Arty said, trying to get Seto out of it.

"No, I insist. I think that it is rude to bring a young lady here, and ignore her the whole night. If you can treat a girl right, you can treat anyone good, that is my philosophy, and I want Mr. Kaiba to put it to the test. I do this to all men who want proposals with me. Get out there, Mr. Kaiba, live a little, because it all slips through your fingers way too fast, and then you don't have anything to look back on. Three songs, Kaiba, surely you can manage three dances, right?" Arty noticed the challenge in the business man's voice. She could see the fire building behind Seto's eyes. He looked to Artemis to see if she would be kind enough to support both his company and his ego. Though she rarely supported either, she was his guest, so she stood and accepted his outstretched hand. Seto silently led her out to the dance floor, where they were reenacting songs from movies. This was a waltz from Phantom of the Opera. Seto brought her hand to shoulder height, and turned to her, sliding his free hand around her waist. It took Artemis only a second to fall into step with the brunet, as he led her across the dance floor in a steady pace to the music. They said nothing through the whole dance, and the next song started without even a thank you for dancing with me. It was half way through the second song that Artemis looked Seto in the eyes.

"I think the point that guy was making was that you were suppose to relax and enjoy the party." She said. This pulled the CEO out of his thoughts.

"I hate social events. Everyone see's them as an opportunity to relax, but it is the best time to convince people to do things that they wouldn't if you were in the office." He said.

"Like this guy just got you out here?" She asked a slight touch of bitterness in her voice. Seto recognized it immediately.

"It's not that I didn't want to dance with you, it's just that I needed both those proposals before I had to go under house arrest for Mokuba." Seto glided her around with ease, when the next song came on. It was an eighties song, _Higher Love._

The two of them danced to the song, falling into beat about the same time.

"_Bring me a higher love. Bring me a higher love, oh. Bring me a higher love. Where is that higher love, I keep thinking of?"_ The band member sang. Artemis could feel Kaiba's muscles relaxing as they got into the dance. He pulled her in close, gazing into her with those strong blue eyes. The usual ice that attacked Artemis from him was melting, and she felt herself falling into those cool blue eyes.

"_I will wait for it. I'm not too late for it. Until then, I sing my songs. To chant the night along. I could light the night up with my soul on fire. I could make the sun shine from pure desire. Let me feel that love come on to me. Let me feel, how strong it can be. Bring me a higher love." _Staring at her, Seto couldn't help but relax. She had always brought out the fun in him, telling him to relax and not to fret the small things. Just the way she stood, and the aura that she emitted was enough to make anyone comfortable. Pulling her in close, he could smell the shampoo in her hair; he could feel the way her body moved to the rhythm. They were face to face, and almost nothing could pull him away from her. Yet, there was that feeling that she was only here for a minute, and tomorrow he would wake up and cross into her room to find her gone.

"Artemis, would you leave again, tomorrow, if your step father wanted you back?" Seto asked. Artemis looked at him for a second before answering.

"No. I would stay." She said.

"Why?" He asked, curious as to the answer. She waited for a verse in the song before answering, just to make him wait for her.

"Because you want me to stay, and my stepfather has no control over me, and because if I left tomorrow I would never be able to come back again, and I couldn't handle losing you and Mokuba again. The song finally ended, and the two friends headed back to there table. Waiting for them were two glasses of champagne, and a note to Kaiba that the proposal would be on his desk in the morning. Artemis congratulated the boy, and they drank to his success.

When they returned to the mansion, Artemis was very tipsy. She never drank, and when she did, she got drunk fast. They had only had two glasses of champagne each, but Seto had to practically carry the girl out of the restaurant. She wasn't loud or boisterous, she was just off balance. Kaiba helped her up the stairs, and guided her into her room. He tried to lay her in bed, but she wouldn't sit down. He finally left her standing in the middle of her room, as he headed through the closet to his room. He was not alone for long. She walked in after him, knocking a few outfits off the hangers as she went. When he turned around to look at her, she fell onto him, her arms wrapping around her neck. She tried at least nine times to stand up, and finally Seto picked her up bridal style, and carried her back to her room. As he laid her in the bed, she dragged her hand softly to his cheek. Seto hovered over her for a moment with her hand on his cheek, and then she spoke.

"Such an angel from heaven. Why do you follow me so? I, the one who crawled out of hell to watch the world rot. Save thy tears for the Earth and its children, for eternity calls and we have it all to share." She giggled lightly before rolling over and going to sleep.

Hey everyone! I completely forgot the disclaimer for like the past six five chapters, so here it goes. I DON"T OWN YU-GI-OH OR ANYTHING THAT SOMEBODY ELSE ALREADY OWNS. (I pretty much own Artemis and Osiris, and the non important people.) See ya next chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Artemis woke to the cold tile of her new bedroom's bath. Sometime in the middle of the night she had wandered in to puke, surprisingly she had a horrible tolerance for alchohol, and had fallen asleep there. Slowly she sat up, gripping her head. When she had finally gotten herself into an upright position, she checked the cabinet for asprin. When she found none, her mind drifted over to Seto's room next door, and if her had some. Slowly she dragged herself along the wall, her hangover unforgivable. She almost tripped over the cloths she had disturbed the night before, and when she staggered into Seto's room she had to sit on the bed for a minute. She was just about to get up when the said brunette walked out of his bathroom, and tword the closet. Arty, who had her head in her hands, didn't notice Kaiba, and let out a low groan that startled the boy. Seto was so surprised that he almost lost his towel around his waist.

"What the hell are you doing?" He said loudly, causing Arty to clutch her ear. Seto recognized the tell tale sighns of a hangover, and remembered there was no asprin in the guest room. "Hang on, ley me get dressed." The brunette sighed, heading into the colset. He returned wearing only his black pants, either too afraid Arty would puke on it, or too riled to remember a shirt. Artemis stood up quickly, which got her so dizzy that she fell forward onto her knees just as Seto was approaching her, her face pressing against his still damp stomach. She groaned slightly, and Seto picked her up.

"You are becoming more and more of a pain." He said, laying her down on his bed. He disappeared into the bathroom, and returned with asprin and water.

"In an hour or two I will come wake you up so you can eat, witch should help you with the hangover too. Right now you should just sleep it off." He said, helping her take the pills. She fell back on the pillows greatfully, the smell of him filling her nose and sending her off to sleep aoutomaticly.

A couple of hours later, Seto climbed the stairs to his room. When he peaked inside, Artemis was still snoring softly on the pillows, her hair spread across the sheets and her pajama top hiked to right under her bra line, tempting, but still not revealing, exactly like her personality. Seto entered quietly, and sat down on the bed. Arty didn't stir, contrary to her normal light slumber. He could see her porcilan skin shimmer with a light sweat, a glow as she would have called it. He checked her pulse, and got a strong one beating from her chest. He softly brushed a stray strand of fire crimson hair away from her face. He remembered the gibberish she had spoken the night before to her, the one line ecoing in his mind.

"_Such an angel from hevan. Why do you follow me so?...for eaternity call sand we have it all to share."_ Kiaba still couldn't tell what she had meant, but as he looked at her sleeping, he couldn't help thinking that she was so right.

"I follow you because you are the one. I can't be sure of that now, but every fiber of my being keeps telling me so. If only you were right about eaternity…." Seto brought his lips to her brow, and was about to kiss her on the head, when she shifted up, and their lips met. She didn't wake from her slumber, but the moment they shared, locked there by shock and emotion, nearly made his heart stop. When he finally pulled away, she was just waking up, her eyes barely open.

"Seto." She said. For some reason, the way her voice sounded was so beautiful to him. "If Mokuba asked you to….. would you date me?" The question had been a trivial one days ago, but now it seemed to hold a new meaning. After pondering for a minute, he answered.

"Yes, I would date you." She opened her eyes a little more, but she was still dazed.

"Would you date me ….. if he didn't ask?" She questioned. Seto thought for less time this time.

"Yes Arty, I would date you." Artemis nodded, and began to sit up. "Why do you ask?" He questioned her.

"I wasn't sure if I was good enough for you." She commented.

After eating a small breakfast, Arty felt a little better, but not 100 . Seto didn't have any work, today starting the fist of his many house arrest dates. He gently led Artemis to the garden, where they sat under a tree and discussed some of their childhood memories. She was starting to wake up fully now, without the hangover to cloud her mind. Seto watched her speak and laugh with intrest.

"Arty." He said. He was treading on thin ice there because she disliked the nickname.

"um…" She responded, wich gave him the courage to continue.

"Would you date me?" he asked. Artemis sat there for a second thinking about what Kaiba had just asked.

"Is this because of Mokuba?" She asked. Seto shook his head.

"Maybe." He lied. Artemis was bad at telling jokes from the truth, but he seemed sincere.

"Well, I guess if you asked..." She commented. Seto shot her a look that only lasted a couple of minutes, but showed his dissapointment in her answer. Mokuba was watching from the branches above the two, trying to think of a way to get the two to express their feelings. Artemis streched out on the ground next to Seto, looking up at the sky.

"Did you ever notice that tree leaves look brighter on the underside?" She asked. Seto looked at her like she was crazy.

"What?" He asked her. He wondered if she had really gotten over her hangover.

"It's kind of like people, so different on the inside that they are almost opposite of what they show outside." Seto looked at her speaking, watched her light blue eyes scan the tree above them. Mokuba crawled out of the tree, afraid of getting caught. Seto turned his head up to the tree leaves as well, not really seeing what she saw, but was intrested in the color of the leaves above them. suddenly he felt a cool drop of water hit his cheek. Then another fell on his fore head, and soon it was pooring around them. Artemis quickly got up, and Seto was about to follow her to the house, when she raced out into the rain, spinning through the drops falling from the sky. He ran out after her, gripping her shoulder, and she threw her arms around his neck.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Dancing." She said, twirling around with him in the rain. At first Seto tried to fight her, but as her warm outlook and soft eyes bore into him, he relaxed and let her lead him around the yard.

A.N. sorry for any spelling mistakes that i have, I am having trouble with spell check, but the next capter will be better!


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